When the Missouri Conservation Commission instructed the Missouri Department of Conservation to conduct a feasibility study to reintroduce elk in the Eastern Ozarks, conservationists around the state cheered. The buzz in hunting circles was that Missouri could one day open an elk season. Gov. Jay Nixon expressed his support (not that anybody would have expected anything else.)

But at least one prominent rural Missourian has voiced his disapproval: Charles Kruse, the president of the Missouri Farm Bureau.

In a letter to Gov. Nixon, Kruse wrote that the “… commission made an incomprehensible decision to reverse direction and resumed plans to reintroduce elk in Missouri. Elk obstruct roads, trample fences, and decimate crops and forage. Disease transmission between elk and livestock is a major concern. Landowners suffer the brunt of the unintended consequences of elk restoration.”

Wouldn't it be nice to see a bunch of these guys roaming the Missouri Ozarks?

As a farmer in Stoddard County, Kruse understands the valid concerns about potential damage. As the president of the farm bureau, it’s his job to speak on behalf of Missouri’s hardworking farmers. These concerns must be addressed by the Missouri Department of Conservation, which is holding three public hearing sessions this week.

Mr. Kruse continued: “If imposing these risks associated with elk is deemed acceptable today, then will ‘native’ wildlife species that pose greater risks be next?”

That could be cool.

If we choose to manage wildlife based on potential impact on agriculture, it would be best to eliminate all wildlife and just farm the entire earth. Of course, European settlers to America tried that up until the late 19th century but discovered that the animals had all but disappeared and our landscape was left scarred and, in some cases, barren.

We’ve learned our lessons. It has taken a hundred years to fix what we broke, and we still have a long way to go. Modern

The proposed elk restoration area is 365 square miles, 60% of which is publicly owned.

agricultural practices encourage sustainability through wise land management and livestock rearing. Current wildlife management practices, including regulated hunting, allow us to effectively management wild animals while respecting the need for logical human development. Conservationists — many of them farmers —  have provided amazing financial support and muscle-numbing labor for habitat and population improvement programs.

We owe it to the Ozarks to replace what we selfishly eliminated.

And I’m sure if the elk get out of control and start to damage crops, Missouri farmers will be able to find plenty of hunters willing to help manage the herd.

The Missouri Department of Conservation is taking public comments through Oct. 1. Click here to access the online comment form.

Here’s a video of MDC ungulate specialist Lonnie Hanson explaining the history of elk and elk restoration in Missouri.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eudly_ihrwY